Bestiary
The Tome of Beasts This being a most comprehensive and exhaustive tome regarding all manner of beasts and wild things that inhabit our lands. Granted, I have not added the more common of beasts (cow, deer, rabbit, et cetera), but I have compiled the more mythic ones. In alphabetical order, of course. - The Chronicle Keeper 'A' 'Abomination ' A necromantic creation, usually using multiple corpses. 'Avalerion ' A breed of giant birds resembling the hawk. 'Asrai ' Water spirits that haunt sailors/the shoreline. Also known as merfolk, sirens, or selkies. 'Ancient Ones' Massive stone giants said to inhabit the mountain peaks near the Obsidian Stone. 'B' 'Banshee' A female dark spirit. Marked by its ear splitting wail. Sometimes summoned forth via necromancy. 'Black wolf' A death wolf spirit, usually called as a familiar for necromancers. 'Bloody ones' Skeleton like spirit that has its bone dripping with blood. Summoned by necromancy. 'Bogeymen' Ghoul-like humanoids that haunt the shadows of cities feeding on living humans (instead of rotting flesh like a ghoul). 'Behemoth' Large, hulking creatures resembling bulls. All but extinct now, but some are known to exisit in the Woldsenden Forest. 'Bullmen' Like the Canomen (listed below), the Bullmen are a savage tribe in the northern Woldsenden Forest. It is said that some of them have become frightening bull/man hybrids - with the bodies of men and heads like those of cattle. ''C 'Charybdis' ''Sailors have reported seeing whirpool like formations in the water with a giant mouth in the center, gaping open and full of fangs (or teeth) littered with the wreckage of ships. 'Chimera' Hybrid lion/goat/snake. No doubt a product of the Fallen and their devious toying with life. 'Canimen (aka Canomen/Dogmen)' Large, savage tribe in the southern wastes. Known to be cannibals. Their name originates with their practice of filing their teeth to fangs and wearing wolf pelts. Some people claim that the Canimen have bred their women with dire wolves, resulting in wolf headed humanoids. 'D' 'Daemon' Corporeal servant of the Fallen. Most are grotesque and frightening to look upon. 'Dire wolf' A giant wolf, almost twice the size of a normal animal. Known to be vicious and actively hunt human flesh. 'Dire bear' Like the dire wolf, a dire bear is a much larger version of its regular counterpart. Beware of these animals, they are ill tempered and nearly impossible to destroy. 'Doppleganger' Another servant of the Fallen. These creatures take the face (and often the lives) of a human. 'Dragon' Thought to be one of the first creations, dragons are a complex topic. There are two sects of dragons, those that revere the Creators and those that serve the Fallen. It is believed that the majority of the dragon populace was devestated in the Final Great Crusade. (See ''Special Entry: Dragons ''below). 'Drake' Smaller dragon, usually the size of a large bird. Often summoned as a familiar for Casters. E 'Elemental ''' ''A magical creature created from one of the elements (fire/light, wind, earth, water). ''They have been known to break free from their masters' control and wreak considerable havoc.'' 'Ettin ' Three-headed giants that are rumored to live in the Westenedgen Mountains. F 'Familiar ' Magically created animal or creature. For example, a magically summoned dog would be a canine familiar. 'Fish-man ' A seperate group from asrai mentioned earlier, the fish-men are mutations created by the Fallen that resemble fish in every aspect other than that they are bipedal. 'Fey hound ' Magically corrupted dog used as guardians for dark or fey casters. G 'Ghost/geist ' Spirit of the dead, usually cursed and forced to wander the world without rest. 'Ghoul ' Undead humanoids that haunt the crypts and graveyards of Ethaeria, known to be self-cannibals. 'Giant ' Massive humanoids that resemble man. 'Golem ' Animated construct (usually using metal or stone). Necromancers create them out of corpses (where are referred to as abominations). '' 'Gryphon Resemble a lion with an eagle's head and wings. One of the first creations, unknown if any still exist. '' 'H' 'Hydra' ''Multi-headed water serpent. Often though to be a lesser form of dragon. 'Hoarding spider ' Large spider, the size of a small dog. These insects hoard shiny trinkets from their usually human victims. Native to the dense forests of the inner continent. 'I' 'Imp ' A diminutive daemon. These are often seen as familiars of fey and necromancers. 'Iatath's Worm ' Giant, albino worms that often feed on the carcasses of behemoths. Named after the High Mage Iatath, who was the first (and last) person to see them. 'Indigo serpent' Water snakes that reside in the bays and inlets of the continent. '' 'J' 'Journeyman's beetle These insidious little parasites burrow under the skin of their host (usually under the skin near the middle of the back) and hitch a ride. Painful to remove. 'Jester's bird ' Brightly colored bird, found only in the warm sea air of the East. '''K 'Kraken ' Giant beasts resembling a cross between a squid and an octopus. 'Knight ant ' Densely armored ants of the inner forests. Large in size, volatile in temperament. 'L' 'Leviathan ' Large, island sized fish. Ships have been known to run aground on the sandy backs of these beasts, then be drug under as the fish dives. 'Lich' Undead being with very high remaining mental faculty. Often created when a necromancer departs. 'Lynx' Magical felines, often summoned as familiars. 'M' 'Manticore' Lion-bodied beast with the tail of a scorpion and face of a human. Often side-effects of forbidden magic practicing. 'Man-eating ant' Fabled ants of the Desert of Purity, said to be the size of dog. 'N' 'Norbord's beetle ' Shiny black/green beetles that feed on magical tomes. Their internal liquid is known to contain magical power (due to the amount of consumed pages). 'O' 'Ogre' Subclass of giants, these smaller versions of their massive cousins can usually be found nearby trade posts and trade routes, as they like to ambush travelers for food. P 'Poltergeist ' Violent ghost known for haunting homes. Usually the spirit of a vile or evil person before death 'Portent moth ' Moth long thought to be an omen from the creators, its wings seem decorated with the all seeing eye. 'Q' 'Quickstar worm ' Shiny silver worm known for it's speed. Larval form of the Viper moth. R 'Revenant ' Particularly vicious undead being, thought to be a magically enhanced ghoul. 'S' 'Sandwalker' Giant spider in the western half of the desert. 'Shade' Necromantic being, created from pure death energy. 'T' 'Tidewater lurker ' Large fish whom lurk in the shallow pools near the shore, looking to haul in unsuspecting animals (or people). 'Trademan's worm' Worms that infest, en masse, trade shipments. Usually number in the hundreds of thousands. 'U' No entries - yet. 'V' 'Viper moth' Venomous mouth that bites it's victims then ingests their cranial contents. 'W' 'Were(animal)' The result of either a curse or loss of control of an anthropomorphism spell. 'Wyrm' Giant snake-like beast. Feeds mostly on behemoths. 'X' 'Xaraen's eel ' Fairly large, bright red eels known to attach to the hulls of ships and consume the wood. 'Y' 'Yell hound' Large hounds of the western sand sea, known for their distinctive yell-like howl. 'Z' 'Zombie' Reanimated corpse with no mental faculties, reliant on 'smarter' undead for leadership (ghouls and revenants mostly). They form the bulk of most any necromancer's army. Special Entry: Dragons Dragons are among the firstborn of corporeal creation. They are also one of the only non-human entities on Ethaeria that have higher thinking ability and are known to be under the patronage of the Creators (or the Fallen as the case may be). Most living dragons are evil. While the exact number of dragons is hotly debated (and not known), it is known that at one time (likely during the First Crusade), some neutral and even a few good dragons were put to the sword by overzealous crusaders. There are only a handful of dragons that were known by name, which was either directly translated from drakentongue or directly told by the dragon. The list follows. Evil Havarthen: Dead. Killed during the First Crusade. Vara: Dead. Killed near Dragonbone Coast during the Expidition there. Asith: Alive. Rumored to live on the far southern and icy Wastes. Ras: Alive. Last seen in a deep bit in the Westenedgen Mountains. Res: Alive. Twin of Ras. Also inhabits western peaks. Neutral Avet: Alive. Last seen fleeing the First Crusade. Arril: Sister to Avet. Killed during the First Crusade. Renlif: Alive. Runt dragon (roughly half the size of a normal dragon). Known to fly amongst the northern peaks surrounding the Obsidian Stone. Good Thaei: Alive. Guardian of the eastern borderlands. Known to sailors as one who will guide ships safely home. Etsin: Dead. Killed by Asith trying to protect the city of Orforren. Narim: Dead. Killed during the First Crusade. Metah: Alive. Wherabouts unknown. Unnamed/Rumored Dragons There are at least three dragons that are rumored to exist (via traveler's tale) but have never been observed. The first is Arcaus. He is rumored to be 'lord' of all dragons, and one whom even the most powerful of evil dragons fear. The second is an unnamed dragon said to cursed to take the form of a human. Whether this was a punishment for a crime or an attempt at communication gone wrong, is unknown. The third is the unnamed "terror of the seas" This dragon is said to live deep under the oceans of Ethaeria and swallow entire convoys of vessels. Drakentongue The language spoken by dragons. Only a small smattering of this language has been translated by scholars, as sources for translation are sparse.